Artemis Fowl: Public School
by Grace Kwan
Summary: Say Artemis and his parents traveled to Canada when he was 12. Say he came to my school while waiting for a better private school to open. Say we met each other.  THIS IS JUST FOR FUN, SO DON'T JUDGE. I'M NOT AN INSANE GIRL WHO LIKES FICTIONAL CHARACTERS


_It's so hot,_ thirteen-year-old Artemis Fowl Junior grumbled in his own mind. It wasn't just the heat. It was everything. The fact that he was under appreciated, the fact that he, criminal mastermind genius, Artemis Fowl, was confined to this common Canadian public school.

Of course, it was just for time being. He would only have to stay until his parents, Angeline and Artemis Fowl Senior, had finished surveying all the local private schools-and colleges-in the area. Artemis sure wished that they would hurry up-he hated it here.

He was made fun of all the time when he first arrived, and of course, Artemis had conveniently told Butler his bodyguard to stay distant. The vulgar boys, and even some tittering girls, had teased him about everything from his pallor down to his formal-looking suits. Of course, that all stopped when Artemis created a 3-D holographic projector (partly made from stolen fairy technology, naturally) which made every person it was pointed at appear as though they were wearing suits like Artemis's. But instead of black and white, they were ridiculously colourful patterns and prints.

Artemis spotted a willowy tree out of the corner of his eye. He approached it, glad to see only one harmless-looking girl on the bench under it. She was devouring a book while sucking on a Popsicle. She had black hair, not all done up like most other girls, and looked Asian. She was using her hand to keep her side bangs out of the way as she read. He was even more delighted when he saw a fraction of the cover of the book she was reading: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. One of his all-time favourites. J.K. Rowling really was a genius.

The girl started as Artemis seated himself beside her.

"Hello. I'm Ar-"

"I know. Artemis Fowl, isn't it?" she said shyly yet brightly. Artemis wondered how she did that. "I'm Grace."

"How do you know my name?" he asked.

The girl went bright red.

"Oh, of course, the...suit incident." Artemis leaned back against the warm bench. He remembered her face; she was one of the only people who had sniggered appreciatively at his holographic suit prank. "Is that Harry Potter you're reading? I enjoyed reading that series. I'm quite sure I have the entire collection in the family library somewhere."

At the mention of the name Harry Potter, Grace bubbled up immediately. "Yes! I absolutely _love_ Harry Potter! I've read all the books about seven times, same with the movies. Seven is the magical number in Harry Potter, did you know that? There are seven hundred ways to commit a Quidditch foul, there are seven Horcruxes, seven books, Ginny's the first Weasley girl in seven generations..." She paused to catch a breath. "I could list them all, but you'd probably be bored." She laughed and promptly returned to her magical world in the book, blushing subtly.

Artemis studied her as she hungrily turned the pages of her book. She was relatively plain in looks, but more on the pretty side. She looked as if she had tried hard to be pretty once, and stopped suddenly. Her eyebrows were plucked, her clothes were "last season's hottest trends," and Artemis could see traces of concealer on certain spots on her face. There was not a split end in sight, and her hair was obviously cut at a professional salon.

He wanted to talk to her, but didn't wish to disturb her. Fortunately, she sat back and closed the book herself.

"Did you make that suit-thing on your own?" Grace asked.

"Of course. It's a 3-D holographic projector."

Grace looked impressed. "And you invented it and built it all by yourself?"

"I thought we cleared that up already." Artemis grinned. Grace was the only person who actually cared about his projector. All the other girls had only squealed, demanding that he give their boyfriends' clothes back. He guessed that Grace didn't have a boyfriend.

"Why did you make it, though?" she asked, as if that wasn't obvious.

Artemis turned to face Grace. "Wasn't it plain that they were taunting me about my way of dressing? About how pale I am?"

"Well, I think you didn't have to do that. You look gr-you look fine in suits. And…and I think it's cool that you dress semi-formally," she finished hurriedly. Flushing, she turned away.

"Thank you," said Artemis, surprised. "But I had to stand up for myself, didn't I?"

"Just ignoring them and going on wearing what you wear is standing up enough," Grace answered simply.

Artemis didn't reply but looked into the distance. Butler was strolling casually down the sidewalk opposite of the school.

Just then, the bell sounded. Hoards of children spilled off the playground, and older students rolled into the school from basketball courts and picnic tables.

Grace quickly dog-eared her book and stood. "Bye, Artemis! See you…er…see you!" She turned and sprinted through the crowd, into the building.

Artemis wished she were in his class. She'd make good company for when he was finished his test or assignment (usually in one minute flat) and had nobody to talk to.

_Oh, well_, he thought. _Artemis Fowl doesn't need a friend. He operates alone._ He grinned in spite of himself. _Just like Lord Vo-He Who Must Not Be Named._


End file.
